Active Living in the Winter

Winter has arrived along with freezing temperatures, snowy weather, short days and long nights. However, the key to a healthy lifestyle is not to hibernate but to make sure an active lifestyle lasts all winter long.

“The winter months can make it challenging to get the recommended one hour of physical activity each day for children,” says Christie Bernard, resource nurse in the Lipid Clinic at Dayton Children's. “It’s important to make sure that kids continue to be active in the winter months. Exercise helps children build healthier bones, strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, boost energy level and fend off cabin fever.”

Dayton Children’s offers five tips to keep kids active in the winter:

1. Enjoy the outdoors. As long as children are dressed appropriately in warm layers and stay hydrated, there are many different kinds of winter activities to enjoy as a family—from a simple walk in the snow to ice skating, sledding or cross country skiing. Make the most of the winter wonderland.
2. Make an indoor gym. Consider incorporating indoor stretching and exercise into typically sedentary activities. Stretch during commercials if you are watching TV. If your children need a more structured workout, consider stopping by your local library and checking out some kid-friendly exercise videos. Reconfigure your furniture to make room for rolling, climbing and tumbling in the home.
3. Take advantage of community opportunities. Get a recreation guide for your community or watch the paper for fun activities that you can attend as a family to get out of the house. 
4. Limit screen time. Place limits on the amount of video, computer and TV time your child has each day. These habits can lead to a sedentary lifestyle and over-snacking.
5. Be a role model. Setting the example for your children is very important. Make sure to join in on their winter activities to keep yourself healthy as well.

With a combination of physical and social activities, you and your children can keep fit by following these simple tips. Try it this winter.

About our Expert: Christie Bernard, RN, BSN, resource nurse in the lipid clinic

Christie Bernard is a graduate from Wright State University in 1993. She started her nursing career at Good Samaritan Hospital in labor and delibery/mother baby . Through that experience she decided that pediatric nursing was her passion and pursued a career at Dayton Children’s. She has been a pediatric nurse at Dayton Children’s for 15 years. She have worked in the Lipid clinic for 7 of those years where she assesses and educates patients and families with obesity related complications and hypercholestolemia.

Don't let your child get bitten - by frostbite!

The colder temperatures of winter bring about a host of problems we don’t deal with during the rest of the year. If your children aren’t ones for sitting in front of the fireplace to sip hot cocoa, but instead prefer to get outside and play, help them stay safe by knowing the signs and symptoms of frostbite! 

Frostbite
"Frostbite can result in the same type of tissue damage as a burn," says Heather Koss, RN, clinical resource nurse at Dayton Children’s and coordinator of the emergency medical system/trauma education program. "This is why it is important for parents to periodically check on children who are playing outside. Make sure they are dressed appropriately—gloves, hats, warm socks and face coverings are particularly important since fingers, noses and ears are most vulnerable to frostbite."

Signs of frostbite

• Skin may look discolored.
• Skin may feel cold to the touch.
• Skin may feel numb to child.
• If deeply frostbitten, skin may look waxy or feel hard (frozen).

What parents should do

• Take the child to a warm place
• Remove cold or wet clothing and give child warm, dry clothes
• Do NOT rub or massage the cold part or apply heat such as a water bottle or hot running water.
• Cover the body part loosely with a non-stick, sterile dressing or dry blanket.
• If the skin looks discolored or the child has lost sensation, keep the child warm and call 9-1-1 immediately.

With proper precautions children can be safe and have a great time enjoying winter weather.

For more tips on winter safety visit our website.

Eight ways to keep children warm and safe

We're starting to see colder temperatures and some of that fun, white stuff! Make sure to follow these tips from our pediatric experts to keep kids safe during their winter break (and all winter long).

1. Dress children in layers and have them wear insulated boots. Double socks and double mittens will keep children insulated and add a little extra warmth. Mittens are warmer than gloves because they keep all fingers together.
2. Change socks and mittens frequently. If children sit in wet, cold clothing they may be more susceptible to illness including hypothermia or abnormally low body temperature.
3. Remember to cover the body’s most susceptible regions: ears, fingers and toes. Keep hats on children because most body heat escapes from the head.
4. Clothes should be kept dry.
5. Set reasonable time limits on outdoor play– bring children in periodically to warm up and change from any wet clothing.
6. Check children every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure they aren’t too cold and their layers remain ON.
7. If you are in an area with deep snow, dress children in bright-colored clothing so they can be seen among snowdrifts.
8. Don’t forget sunscreen. The winter sun reflects off winter snow increasing dangerous rays.

Children should be encouraged to play in the snow and enjoy this weather but parents should make sure weather conditions are appropriate for playing outside. With proper precautions children can be safe and have a great time enjoying winter weather.

For more tips about safe winter play visit our website.